Health Policy and Leadership
HPM 552
Subject & Catalog Number
Course Information
Description
Sponsored by the Harvard Chan Menschel Senior Leadership Fellowship Program, Menschel Fellows teach a course unique to their career and leadership experience, addressing topics like politics and public health, health equity, policy implementation, poverty and access to healthcare, community health, universal health coverage, and beyond. For more on Senior Leadership Fellow courses and current offerings, visit https://hsph.harvard.edu/fellowship-special-program/senior-leadership-fellows/.
The 2025 Fall Fellow is Kate Walsh, former Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human Services (2-23-2025) and former President and CEO of Boston Medical Center (2010-2023).
Class Notes
Course Title: Strange Bedfellows: How a Health System Executive and Former Government Official Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Medicaid (with apologies to Dr. Strangelove)
Course Description: This course aims to create a common understanding of the complexities, challenges and opportunities of Medicaid. Best suited for aspiring future health system leaders, elected officials, and policymakers but also very pertinent for those who want to understand how government supports and pays for public health services. It’s especially timely given that the current administration and Congress have just enacted the largest cuts to Medicaid spending and eligibility in the history of the program. The goal is for tomorrow’s health and human service practitioners and leaders to understand the flexibility, opportunity for local customization, and ability to drive system change through this program which is essentially an insurance plan. We will explore how at their best Medicaid programs address social factors influencing health, stimulate the local economy, and strengthen the safety net that sustains kids, the disabled, and supports our aging population.
Available for Harvard Cross Registration
